


Processing

by Xyl



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Romance, it is not so much about the leg, there is a prosthetic leg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-02-06
Packaged: 2018-09-22 08:50:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9598019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xyl/pseuds/Xyl
Summary: High School AU. Peeta has a prosthetic leg. Cato is the new kid.





	

**Author's Note:**

> the superbowl was on

After the accident no one really wanted to talk to him. 

I mean, it wasn’t like he was super popular or anything he thought to himself. Sure he wasn’t surrounded by swarms of people but he had friends. People to sit with at lunch or to partner up with in classes for group projects.

But apparently the amount of friends you have is directly proportional to how many legs you have. At least that’s what he gathered.

He was just grateful he wasn’t in a wheelchair anymore. The stares he got while he was in it were enough to make him wish he was dead.

So here he was now, reading by himself. 

Alone. 

Until he showed up.

Peeta looked up from his book, disturbed by the sound of his lunch tray clattering on the table. He was only mildly concerned that he would have to get up, worst case scenario he could scare them off.

He marked his page, looked up, and was greeted by a guy with a chiseled face and stunning blue eyes.

Woah new kid.

“Uh.. hi?” Peeta murmured to this new kid that had just sat down at the table with him.

“Hey,” He said taking a bite out of his sandwich before continuing “I saw you sitting here by yourself, figured you could use some company.” He swallowed another bite followed by a swig of his water.

“Astute observation. But I’m good, I’ve got all the company I need.” Peeta replied while brandishing his book.

“The Bell Jar?” The new kid inquired. “I hear Sylvia Plath’s very cheery.” 

Peeta ignored this and focused instead on him “You’re new here aren’t you?”

“Astute observation.”

Asshole.

“What gave it away?” He answered mockingly.

Again Peeta ignored him replying, “You sat down.” Waiting to see his reaction.

“You are seriously depressing.” The new kid said shaking his head before putting his sandwich back down on his tray. “My name is Cato by the way.”

“Sorry?” Peeta paused, biting back a retort before finishing with, “I’m Peeta.”

“Like the-?”

“Yeah like the bread.”

“I can tell humor runs in your family.” Cato joked. “Anyways, don’t worry we’ll fix your depression, buy you a puppy, get you some sunflowers, and find you a support group of people who were also so unfortunate to read The Bell Jar.”

Peeta was saved from responding to this by the bell ringing. 

Cato gathered up his tray and walked away to find a trashcan.

Peeta pulled his bag up off the ground and stuck his book back in it before pulling out his cane and extending it. He started to stumble to his feet while trying to get the cane to find purchase on the slick tile. He finally breathed a sigh of relief as he managed to get his prosthetic underfoot correctly.

He looked over and realized that Cato had watched this whole process and he felt his whole face burn.

Great, another stranger who gets to watch the cripple for the first time.

Peeta quickly slung his backpack over his shoulder before hobbling out into the hallway and heading to his next class. 

Hopefully he could avoid Cato for the rest of the day without anymore awkward conversations or staring at him.

He manages to get through a boring math class where he stares out the window for most of the time and an equally boring study hall where he doodles on a piece of paper for most of the period while waiting on the final bell to ring.

After the bell rings he pushes himself back up and onto his feet and makes his way out into the hallway, amongst the flood of students desperately making their way out. He smiles to himself as he wryly notices that he is given a wide berth. 

Probably the only good thing about the cane, he thinks to himself.

Of course, as he makes his way out by himself, due to his slower movement, he’s met by Cato’s lone figure leaning up against a pillar.

Cato greets him by speaking first “Peeta, I’m sorry about staring earlier today at lunch, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“It’s fine, you didn’t know.” Peeta said this all the while avoiding eye contact by looking down at the ground. He started to walk away, “Besides who doesn’t want to stare at the cripple?” He said this bitterly, and was interrupted by Cato grabbing his forearm.

Cato stopped him, forcing Peeta to look at him, his blue eyes fierce and piercing. “It’s not like that at all, if I had known I would have-”  
“It’s fine Cato, I’ve been dealing with it for a while now. It’s not unusual for me, so you don’t have to apologize.” He began to break eye contact once more, now looking just at Cato’s chest.

“Do you mind if I asked what happened?” Cato asked quietly, now moving his hand to Peeta’s free hand not gripping the cane, softly squeezing it.

“Car Accident.” Peeta choked out before continuing, “There was a drunk driver, and the car flipped and my leg got crushed.” Peeta said this while slowly lifting up his pant leg showing the shiny metal of his prosthetic. “I’m supposed to be pretty lucky that’s all I lost, I was unconscious for a while and they said I could’ve died, but here I am..” He said this last part trying to inject a sense of happiness into what he said.

“I can’t imagine what that would be like to go through.” He said this now squeezing Peeta’s hand tighter. “If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here for you.”

Peeta closed his eyes shut squeezing them tight. “Thank you Cato.” 

He wanted to say more to Cato, what he had just said felt so weak but he was once again interrupted by a horn honking and someone shouting his name.

“Peeta!”

He felt Cato’s hand jerk away and leave his grasp as he forced himself to look up and saw his brother Rye waiting for him in his truck.

Still not looking at Cato he forced himself to say “That’s my brother then. I’ll uh see you tomorrow I guess.” He said this last part sneaking a glance up at Cato.

He had just pulled open the door to Rye’s truck when Cato jogged up to him.

“Here let me help you.” He said this softly taking Peeta’s cane and lending him his shoulder to help him up into the car more easily.

“Thanks.” He mumbled this last part softly looking down at his hands.

“Rye Mellark!” 

Smooth.

“Thanks for helping out my brother, and you are?” Rye said this questioningly, intruding in on Peeta and Cato’s interaction.

“Cato Hadley, I’m a new friend of Peeta’s I just moved here.” Cato responded with a smile that could .

“Well I’m glad Peeta’s got a new friend that can help him out.” Rye said this while staring down Cato “You have a good day now.” He said this while cranking the engine.

“You too.”He said while meeting his stare before returning his gaze to Peeta “See you tomorrow Peeta.” Cato smiled at him waving before they drove off.

“So a new friend?” Rye asked.

“Shut up.” Peeta replied quietly as Rye laughed to himself.

The next morning in P.E., Peeta watched from the bleachers as Cato and his fellow peers ran around the field kicking a ball around. 

For once he was actually glad that he was missing a leg. For some reason instead of transferring him to a different class or something else they just had him sit on the bleachers and watch everyone else play as if maybe he could absorb it somehow.

He really didn't care he usually just pulled out his sketchbook and worked on one of his latest pieces, although today he was feeling… distracted to say the least. Cato was now in this class and every now and then Peeta found his attention straying from his pen and paper to the handsome athletic guy running around on the field. He found himself studying the way he moved and ran, but then his gaze may have.. ah.. slipped a little. He found himself looking at Cato in his shorts. And all he could say was. Damn. 

Suddenly Cato would turn around to look at Peeta smiling and waving to him, and Peeta immediately put his head down and tried to remember what he was drawing. He hoped his face wasn’t too red or that Cato couldn’t see that well from far away.

Either way for the rest of the period until the class ended he kept his head down drawing something, even if he was just doodling shapes.

Peeta was interrupted by a large shadow looming over him and was greeted by Cato’s large form leaning over him.

“What’s up?” Cato said by casual way of greeting, while Peeta slammed his sketchbook closed holding it close to himself.

“N-nothing much.” Peeta responded letting out a slow breath of air.

It was silent for a moment as Cato settled down besides him and they stared out over the empty field for a minute.

“It really sucks that they just make you sit up here and watch us all.” Cato commented suddenly.

“I don’t mind too much, I was never very athletic before the accident, so this is just a good excuse now.” Peeta told him patting his prosthetic as he spoke. 

“Still it seems a bit torturous.” Cato continued.

You have no idea.

“What were you doing all class period?” Cato asked, slightly gesturing to the sketchbook Peeta grasped tightly.

“Just drawing…” Peeta answered lamely.

“Drawing what?”

“Things.” Peeta said vaguely shaking his hand in the air.

“Interesting…”

They sat there quietly for a few more minutes just overlooking the field, Cato almost seemed as if he was going to say something until one of the coaches came out and blew his whistle and started shouting at Cato. “HADLEY! HIT THE SHOWERS AND CLEAN UP.”

“Time to go then.” Cato said getting up looking at Peeta.

“Uh.. yeah. Have fun.” Peeta responded.

Cato chuckled to himself as he walked away.

Have fun?

He put his head down in his hands and groaned.

History before Lunch was about as exciting as it sounded. Their teacher just droned on the whole period, regardless of whether or not their whole class was listening, which they currently were not.

He also had the added bonus of sitting in front of Marvel and his gang of cronies. As they complained about whatever insipid problem was bothering them today.

“-But have you seen that new kid Glimmer?”

Peeta inexplicably perked up at this.

“With him on the team we’ll definitely win this year!” Marvel finished excitedly.

“Marvel I could care less about your dumb sports, but yes I’ve seen him.” Glimmer replied wiggling her eyebrows. “-And he is one hot piece of-”

Peeta nudged his textbook off the desk, and it fell to the ground with a resounding SMACK! Silencing the whole room and actually stopping their teacher for a second while he leaned over to pick it up off the ground.

“God Marvel, I can’t believe we have to be in a class with this kid.” She said this huffing to herself while checking her nails. “I mean I don’t have anything against cripples, he’s just so depressing.” 

She obviously thought he was also deaf, seeing as how she practically shouted this to the whole room, and Peeta felt his face burn as he slid down in his chair.

Peeta opened his book to a random page and focused on the first word he saw while he waited for the period to end.

Finally it rang and as everyone rushed out and Peeta gathered his things up to put in his bag, Marvel walked by pushing all of his stuff out of his grasp and all over the floor.

“Whoops.” He said holding his hands up apologetically “I guess I didn’t see you there.” He threw this last part over his shoulder as he and Glimmer left the room.

He looked up for the teacher but he was gone with the rest of the class.

He scrambled on the floor for ten minutes gathering his things up and getting back on his feet before he departed.

Peeta had just entered the lunchroom and could feel his spirits lifting at the thought of having lunch with Cato. 

Only as the table came into vision he saw Cato wasn’t alone at their table. He was now joined by Marvel, Glimmer and several other jocks whose names he couldn’t be bothered to remember. Especially seeing as how they called him cripple.

He thought about possibly approaching Cato but saw how well they were all getting along, laughing and high fiving and decided to walk away. 

His leg really hurt.

When he exited his Study Hall class at the end of the day this time Cato awaited him.

Cato’s face immediately lit up with a smile that was hard to ignore.

“Where were you today at lunch?”

“Well it seemed like the table was full today, so I didn’t want to bother anyone.” Peeta said carefully as he walked down the hallway leaning heavily on his cane.

“Oh, you mean Marvel and the guys?” Cato asked catching up with Peeta. “They’re cool, they invited me to try out for the football team.You should’ve sat with us.”

“It’s fine.” Peeta responded. “I just don’t get along too well with Marvel and … the guys”

“You’d like them if you got to know them, trust me.”

“I do know them, and they don’t like me, trust me.” Peeta shot back curtly.

“What happened between you?” 

“Nothing.” Peeta said shifting his weight on his leg. “It’s just a feeling…” He said lamely.

Cato walked silently with Peeta to Rye’s truck, waiting until he was at the door before he spoke “If you think I shouldn’t hang out with them I won’t.”

“Hang out with whoever you want. Why does it matter what I think?” He said this last part quietly as Cato helped him up.

Cato just stared at him while Rye thanked him once again and drove off.

**Author's Note:**

> the conventions of standard english? how quaint.


End file.
